Un-Retired Again

I had thought that perhaps that after his less than stellar performance with the New York Jets last season, Quarterback Brett Favre would have decided to stay retired now that he made the decision for the second time in his career. However, three weeks after he said that he planned to 'stay retired' the Minnesota Vikings announced today that indeed, Favre would be joining their roster as (most likely) the starting quarterback. I say most likely because although Minnesota coach Brad Childress says that he'll give all his quarterbacks a fair shot at the starting position, I think it would be a bad 'business' decision to keep Farve in the backup role.

After all, despite not having a great season last year, Favre was probably one of the major draws for all the Jets games. I mean how many times do you get to see a legend play? It's the type of story that has been played out numerous times in all sports. In boxing there was Ali's multiple comebacks to say nothing of George Foreman's stunning comeback at age 40! Then there was Michael Jordan's amazing comeback with the Bulls and then his less than stellar second attempted comeback with the Wizards here in Washington. There was Lance Armstrong's return to the Tour de France this year and even though he didn't win as he had hoped, his strong finish showed that even after being away from the race for a number of years, what he accomplished was not done through the aid of performance enhancing drugs. And just a few days ago we were within days of seeing Formula One ace Michael Schumacher return to Ferrari if not for his neck injuries keeping him from getting medical clearance to race.

Now it's safe to say that over the course of his career, Favre has accomplished a great deal. He can certainly be counted among the legendary quarterbacks of recent memory and will undoubtedly go into the Hall of Fame in the first year of his eligibility, but the thing is that some people just can't go away gracefully. I fully respect his desire to play football. I mean there is no denying the passion for the game he obviously has but if you don't do as well as you think you can, you tend to tarnish the image just a bit. When you go out on top you know that your reputation will remain relatively stellar. Sure you can make mistakes in your life outside of the game but mostly players who have retired on top have retained that legendary status. With Favre's repeated returns, I am curious as to what people will start to think.

Maybe he's thinking along the lines of Jordan. Though Michael Jordan's first return was more successful than Favre's perhaps he thinks his situation will be reversed; after a dismal first return, a second return would likely be more successful. It's a great deal to assume but not out of the realm of possibility. But part of what affected Jordan or other quarterbacks like Joe Montana who chose to go to other teams before retiring is that though they are great players, they are part of a great team and if you don't have all the elements, you can't do a lot. Players like Jordan or Montana did well when they had elements on their team that supported them and helped them perform at the top of your game. In team sports it's just not possible to shine as brightly no matter how good you may be.

But I think there are other drawbacks to the decision to sign aging quarterbacks to your roster. As a Redskins fan I can say this from experience over the last few decades. The teams that sign on older quarterbacks often hope to add experience to their rosters but the problem is that in letting the older guys play, the younger guys lose the chance to develop and grow. It happened numerous times in Washington and continues to happen. Just when a quarterback starts to grow he was usually replaced by a name. Not all these 'names' can pull out victories as easily as they would pull on their socks but it's the mindset and the aura that seems to follow these guys. I certainly wish Favre well but I have a feeling that if he does this same act again next year, the novelty is going to wear off pretty quick. Especially if he has another abyssmal year.